Tbatrix op said hedges



has

1* UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ISAAC A. HEDGES, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI; DOROTHEA HEDGES ADMINIS- TRATRIX OF SAID HEDGES, DECEASED, ASSIGNOR TO J. A. FIELD 8E 00.,

OF SAME'PLAGE.

"BAGASSE-FU RNACE'.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letterslatent No. 278,547, dated May 29, 1883.

Application filed May 31, 1882. (No model.)

y 5 provements inBagasseFurnaces, of which the fol lowing is a specification, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming part ot the same.

, My furnace is constructed with grate-bars inclined from the frontof thefurnace to the *1 bridge-wall, their front ends being nearly vertical and formed without-turned ends resting on the furnace-front, while their rear ends are recessed to form shoulders which fit against a bearing-bar which has vertical lugs forming sockets to receive the rear ends. The bagasse is fed through a tube which supports the fuel above the fire until dried over the depressed front part of the bars, thus preventing the wet bagasse from smothering the tire. The fornace-front is open at bottom to permit the fuel e tobe pushed up the inclined bars as required.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view with part of the furnace-wall broken out Fig. 2 is a deto'show the bars within, 850. tail perspective view, showing an end bearin g of the grate-bars. p c A is an evaporating-pan. a

The walls of the furnace are shown at B. U is the furnace-front.

inner end is made to fit the ordinary mouth -0f the furnace. The feed tube or mouth may be made of sheet or cast iron or of tile, and its outer end may even be made of wood. Itsinner end is secured in the ordinary mouth of the furnace and its outer end supported on legs E. The feed-mouth D is kept full of bagasse to prevent the entrance of air through the mouth,- the bagasse being pushed forward in the mouth, from whose-inner end it projects and is supported above the fire, While the latter acts gnpon it to expel any moisture that may be present and to render it freely combustible by the time a further advance of the bagasse in the mouth causes it to drop onto the blazing fuel beneath.

The grate-bars are shown at F. These are formed with out-turned ends f at the front,

feedmouth, while atthe same time the air is and are curved downward at the front part, f, and from this part ascend or incline upwardly to the bridge-wall G. The objects for giving this form to the bars are, first, to give vertical space for the fire between the bars and the freely admitted. at the front of the bars; sec- 0nd, to allow the easy manipulation of the burning fuel by means of the furnace-poker. The upwardly-inclined partfofthebars forms a gradually-inclined track, on which the burn- 6o ing fuel ascends as it is pushed, back with the poker, so that as the vigor of the flame de creases the. fuel approaches the bottom of the evaporatingnn, causing the heat to be more equally distributed over the panbottom. The equal distribution of heat and absence of fiuctuation are important in the evaporation of sirup, for any fluctuation. causes the impuritiesto settle, while a stead-yand regular heat causes them to remain in suspension, so that they can be skimmed oft'as they collect at top. The settling of the impurities causes a scale. to form on the bottom otthe pan and is liable to result in the scorching of the sirup.

To prevent lateral sway or rocking of the bars upon their bearings, I make the rear bearing-bar, H, with notches or sockets it, formed between lugs h, into which the rear recessed ends,f, of the bars tit tightly, shoulders f a D is the elongated mouth or feed-tube, whose 5 furnace as fast as may be required, and the a burning bagasse in the furnace is pushed back along the bars by the ordinary angular-ended poker, or by one forked at the end. The same instrumentmay be used to push back the ba- 0 gasse in the mouth D.

I claim as my invention- I 1. The improved furnace, which consists of side walls, B, front wall, 0, having fuel and grate openings, an evaporating-pan at top, a feeding-tube to the fuel-openin g, a bridge-wall, G, and a grate bulging downwardly at front and gradually inclined upward toward the bridge-wall, the said tube adapted to support continuous bars F, projecting downward at the hagasse within the furnace until dried, the front and graduallyinclinet'l upwardly toward 1o bag-asse thereby shielding the front end of the the rear of the fire-chamber, as set forth, pan from the fire, as set forth.

2. In a bagasse-furnace, the combination of ISAAC HEDGES' front Wall, (3, having fuel and grate openings, WVitnesses: a feeding-tube to the fuel-opening, side walls, SAML. KNIGHT,

\ i B, bridge-wall Ggand a rate consisting of GEO. H. KNIGHT. 

